Carbon ribbon assembly

ABSTRACT

A carbon ribbon assembly comprising a supply reel on which a carbon ribbon is wound and a takeup reel to which a lead end portion of the carbon ribbon is wound. Each reel is placed and locked within a two part housing having in its periphery a ribbon passage so that carbon ribbon can pass from the supply reel to the takeup reel. The housings have pin and hole associations by which they are adapted to be secured axially superimposed on each other against relative rotation for shipping and storage purposes but are easily separable for their association by the pins of their pin and hole associations in operative positions on the typewriter.

Unites;

States Patent William L. Miller Bolton, Conn.

Dec. 17, 1969 Jan. 4, 1972 Litton Business Systems, Inc. New York, NY.

lnventor Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee CARBON RIBBON ASSEMBLY 7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl

Int. Cl

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS in operative positions on the typewriter.

B4lj 33/14 Field of Search 197/151 197/172 197/151 197/172X 197/172 197/172 197/175 UX 197/151 3,286,808 11/1966 Arena et a1. 197/172 3,361,244 l/l968 Arenaet al. 197/172 X 3,386,556 6/1968 Dannatt et al. 197/151 3,425,532 2/1969 Dannatt 197/151 3,482,684 12/1969 Schladale 197/151 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,000,403 1/1957 Germany 197/175 OTHER REFERENCES IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Ribbon Spool Construction, W. Golf, Jr., Vol. 8, No. 1 1, April 1966, p. 1,624

IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, separable Adhesive Tab for Ribbon Header, D. C. Roller, Vol. 11, No. 3, Aug. 1968, P. 260

Primary Examiner-Emest T. Wright, Jr. Alt0rney-Joseph R. Spalla ABSTRACT: A carbon ribbon assembly comprising a supply reel on which a carbon ribbon is wound and a takeup reel to which a lead end portion of the carbon ribbon is wound. Each reel is placed and locked within a two part housing having in its periphery a ribbon passage so that carbon ribbon can pass from the supply reel to the takeup reel. The housings have pin and hole associations by which they are adapted to be secured axially superimposed on each other against relative rotation for shipping and storage purposes but are easily separable for their association by the pins of their pin and hole associations CARBON runnon ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND Carbon ribbon reels are generally located flatwise on the side frames of a machine with the cores on the supply and takeup reels rotating on horizontal axes. A new carbon ribbon usually comes to the user on a supply reel for installation on the machine. For example, in the Urso et a1. U.S. Pat. No. 3,294,228, a carbon supply reel is part of a package and after separation from such package it must be threaded between guide rollers, guides, a vibrator, takeup and tensioning drives, and must be attached and wound on a takeup reel. This requires excessive handling of the spools and the ribbon so that the handler is apt to soil the hands and also is apt to incorrectly thread the ribbon. A US. Pat. to Lambert, No. 2,825,545 discloses a package containing two ink ribbon spools in containers which are joined in a flat plane but are adapted to be fractured from each other to facilitate installation of a ribbon in a facile manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the invention carbon ribbon is wound on a supply reel contained in a housing therefor and a leader strip extends therefrom to a reel on a takeup reel which is contained in another housing. These two housings are readily separably attached to each other in superimposed relation to constitute a ribbonsupply package or unit. The housings containing the supply reel and the takeup reel are identical and consist preferably of two composite molded parts which by means of spring fingers are adapted to be snapped together with their respective reels introduced therebetween. The housing bottoms are each oppositely provided with a plurality of axially extending protuberances and openings in a manner so that the housings can grippingly be locked together axially and against relative rotation during shipping and storage. When separated they can be easily handled to effect the threading of the ribbon through a ribbon vibrator, guides and takeup friction drive rolls, and to effect their placement in the typewriter with the said protuberances serving as a means of association and to restrain the housings against rotation on the machine. Windows or passages in the housing peripheries provide for smooth tracking of the ribbon.

An object of the invention therefore is in the provision of a doublereel carbon ribbonpackaging and functional assembly which facilitates storage, use and disposal of carbon ribbons, and particularly provides that the operator's can stay free of carbon matter.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof and wherein:

FIG 1 is a sectional view showing a double housing containing a carbon ribbon supply reel and a takeup reel;

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the housings containing the supply and takeup reels separated for mounting;

FIG. 3 is a front sectional view of the housed takeup reel positioned to be lowered into position on machine mountings;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a housing detail;

FIG. 5 shows in enlarged aspect housing details for clipping two component housing parts together, and

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the reel housings and carbon ribbon installed in a machine.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like reference numerals designate like or corresponding elements throughout the several views there is shown in FIG. 1 a carbon ribbon marketing unit 10 comprising a housing 11 containing a carbon ribbon supply reel 12 and an identical other housing 13 superimposed thereon in a separably attached manner and containing a ribbon takeup reel 14.

The ribbon supply reel 12 comprises a hub 15 and a single flange 16 thereon. The ribbon takeup reel 14 comprises a hub 17 and two spaced flanges l8 wherebetween a carbon ribbon 20 is adapted to be wound, carboncoated side facing inwardly on the hub 17.

The two housings ll, 13 consist each of two complemental parts 21, 22. Each of the complemental housing parts 21 comprises a flat ring portion or disk 23 having a central opening [9. Disk 23 has an integral peripheral wall 24 projecting therefrom and each of the complemental parts 22 similarly comprises a flat ring portion or disk 25 having a central opening 19. Disk 25 has a peripheral wall 26 projecting therefrom. The peripheral walls 24, 26 of the complemental parts 21, 22 are of matching diameter, face toward each other from the ring portions 23, 25 and abut each other at various points, as will be made clear later herein. The reels 12 and 14 as well as the complemental parts 21 and 22 are molded of lucite.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 2, 4 and 5 the complemental housing part 22 of each housing l1, 13 has at each of three circumferentially equally spaced locations a spring finger 27 which reaches across the peripheral wall 24 of the housing part 21. Each such finger 27, see FIG. 4, has at its extending end a catch lug 28 to spring into a local relief or hole 30 of the peripheral wall 24 of the component part 21. The spring fingers 27 are thus instrumental to hole the complemental housing parts 21 22 together. The catch lugs 28 are bevelled at 31 so the complemental housing parts 21, 22 can be readily assembled by pushing them together in axial alignment with their respective reels 12, 14 introduced therebetween. Moreover, in case the carbon ribbon 20 should fracture inside either of the housings l l or 13, or for any other reasons, the complemental parts 21, 22 may be separated conveniently by flexing the fingers 27 outwardly, thereby allowing repair.

The peripheral wall 26 of each of the housing parts 22 has at each of the three spaced peripheral locations of the spring fingers 27 a gap 32, see FIG. 5. Into each such gap 32 reaches a tongue extension 33 of the peripheral wall 24 of the related complemental housing part 21. These tongue extensions 33, in cooperation with the gaps 32, facilitate the association of the housing parts 21, 22 in appropriate relations upon each other for assembly. The peripheral walls 24, 26 of the complemental housings 21, 22 abut each other locally at 34 adjoining said tongues 33 but otherwise are preferably slightly separated as shown.

The peripheral walls 24, 26 of the supply and the takeup reel housings 21, 22 respectively have local interruptions bordered by ribbon guide fingers 36, see FIG. 2, which are carried by the peripheral wall 26 of the housing part 22 and reach across the peripheral wall 24 of the component housing part 21. Said fingers 36 afford uninterrupted, smooth ribbon guiding edges defining ribbon passages.

In FIG. 2, the supply reel housing 11 and the takeup reel housing 13 are shown in their upright positions in which they are to be placed onto the machine. Namely, the flat ring portions 25 of the housings 11 and 13 are on top. The carbon ribbon 20 wound on the supply reel 12 in the supply reel housing 1!, ends in a leader strip 37 of suitable length which is devoid of carbon coating and extends through the passage defined by the guide fingers 36 on the housing 1 1. From there the leader strip 37 extends to the takeup reel housing 13 to enter thereinto through the passage defined by the guide fingers 36 thereon. Within the takeup reel housing 13 the leader strip 37 is attached to the hub 17 of the takeup reel 14 by a piece of adhesive tape indicated at 38.

In the assembled carbonribbonmarketing unit 10 shown in FIG. 1, the supply reel housing 11 is shown in a position inverted to the normal position in which it is to be used in the machine, but the takeup reel housing 13 is in its normal upright position in which it is used in the machine. Moreover, the leader strip strip 37 extends from the supply reel housing 11 on a bias into the takeup reel housing 13 over one of the guide fingers 36 thereon.

It been been stated that in the marketing unit 10 shown in FIG. 2, the takeup reel housing 13 is separably attached upon the supply reel housing 11. To this end the flat ring portion 23 of the takeup reel housing 13 has two diametrically opposite protuberances or pins 41 which are engaged in or match holes 42 in the flat ring portion 23 of the supply reel housing 11. Conversely the latter has two protuberances or pins 43 which circularly on its ring portions 23 are midways between the holes 42 therein and are engaged in or match holes 44 in the flat ring portion 23 of the takeup reels housing 13. The fit of the protuberances 41, 43 in the holes 42, 44 is preferably such that the housings ll, 13 cling together. The positions of the pins 41, 43 and holes 42, 44 on both housings 11 and 13 are identical thereon. In fact, both housings 11 and 13 are identical in all respects. In the assembled package relation of the housings 11 and 13 seen in FIG. 1 the ribbon passages defined by the guide fingers 36 are 90 circularly offset in respect to each other, thereby to provide that the leader strip 37 will extend between passages provided by the fingers 36 at a reasonable bias.

In order to prevent unwinding of the ribbon 20 off the supply reel 12 in transport and also to prevent rattling of the reel 12 within the housing 11, there is placed into the supply reel housing 11 along with the supply reel 12 at the flangeless end of its hub 15, a corrugated cardboard filler strip 40. This filler 40 is pulled out from under the flat ring portion 25 of the supply reel housing 11 preparatory to installing the housings 11, 13 in the machine.

When the ribbon 20 is to be used in the machine the marketing unit shown in FIG. 1 may be removed from a box and the corrugated board 40 is taken hold of midway between its ends and removed. Then the takeup housing 13 may be grasped and held by the left hand in the position shown in FIG. 1 and supply housing 11 grasped and held by the right hand and folded 180 degrees away from under the housing 13 into a rightwardly adjacent relation to the takeup housing as shown in FIG. 2.

In FIG. 6 the ribbon supply housing 11, as well as the ribbon takeup housing 13, are shown installed in a typewriter respectively on a frictionbraked shaft 45 and a winding shaft 46.

From the housing 11, the leader strip 37 extends over a roll 47 reversely toward and through a conventional ribbon vibrator 48 and from there to between two ribbon feed rolls 50, 51 and over a guide stud 52 into the ribbon takeup housing 13 onto the reel 14 therein.

As seen in FIG. 3, the winding shaft 46 protrudes upwardly through a frame member 53 which carries the guide stud 52 and the feed roll 50, and indirectly also the feed roll 51. This frame member 53 supports a platform 54 which has holes 55 therein so that the ribbon housing 13 by the protuberances 41 on its flat ring 23 can be located in concentric relation to the shaft 46 and with the ribbon passage defined by the fingers 36, appropriately located in respect to the guiding pin 52 on the machine. A similar platform 54, not shown, is present in reference to the frictionbraked shaft 45 and has also holes 55, such holes 55 to receive the supply reel housing 11 by its protuberances 43, concentrically correlated to the shaft 45.

After the housings ll, 13, for removal from the package, have been grasped in opposite hands, as stated above, they may first be maneuvered to lower the ribbon leader strip 37 into the vibrator 48 and into proper association with the guides 47, 52 and the rolls 50, 51. Then the housings 11, 13 may be dropped into appropriate positions on the platforms 54. During this entire installing process no portion of the carbon ribbon 20 is exterior of the housings 11, 13, so that the operator's hands remain completely clean. When the ribbon 20 needs to be replaced, the housings 21, 22 are grasped to remove them and the ribbon 20 from the machine for disposal.

What is claimed is:

1. A carbon ribbon package assembly for use in a typewriter, comprising in combination:

a ribbon supply reel having a ribbonmounting hub,

a ribbon takeup reel having a ribbonmounting hub,

an identical ribbon housing for each of said reels, each of said housings comprising a pair of flat disks provided with rim means directed toward one another to provide spacing wherebetween its respective reel is accommodated,

locking means on said rim means of each housing for securing said disks of a housing after a reel is inserted therein, said rim means of each housing having each an interruption to provide a ribbon passage,

said housings being each adapted for association upon the typewriter by a particular one of its disks and such disk having a central opening for facilitating such association,

a carbon ribbon wound on said supply reel hub and a leading end portion extending therefrom through the ribbon passage in the housing of the supply reel and into the ribbon passage in the housing of the takeup reel and being attached to the hub of said takeup reel,

and matching means on those disks of the housings by which they are associable with the typewriter, to coaxially associate the housings separably upon each other, comprising on each such disk a plurality of protuberances fitting holes in the other of said disks.

2. The invention set forth in claim 1, in combination with the typewriter embodying,

a supply reel hubreceiving shaft,

a takeup reel hubreceiving shaft,

platform means through which said shafts project,

and means on said platform means at locations correlated to the axes of said receiving shafts respectively to associate nonrotatively the related reel housings by said protuberances thereon. I

3. A carbon ribbon package assembly for use on a typewriter, comprising in combination,

a ribbon supply reel having a ribbonmounting hub,

a ribbon takeup reel having a ribbonmounting hub,

an identical twopart housing for each of said reels, each twopart housing comprising two disks having each a projecting peripheral rim facing toward one another providing a space therebetween, said reels being each accommodated between the disks of their twopart housings with room for freely rotating therein,

the rims projecting from the disks of each twopart housing having matching interruptions, to provide a ribbon P g means to join two-parts of each housing so that the interruptions therein register with each other,

at least one of said disks of each housing having a central opening to facilitate the association of the reel in the housing by its hub with a machine part,

a carbon ribbon wound on said supply reel hub and a leading end portion of the ribbon extending therefrom through the ribbon passage in the twopart housing of the supply reel and into the ribbon passage in the twopart housing of the takeup reel and being attached to the hub of said takeup reel,

and matching means on the two twopart housings to separably associate them superimposed upon each other.

4. The invention set forth in claim 3, wherein the means to join the two parts of each twopart housing includes a plurality of detent prongs extending from at least one housing part to resiliently snap onto the other housing part.

5. The invention set forth in claim 3, wherein the ends of said passages in each twopart housing are afforded by a finger on one housing part which reaches across a portion of the rim on the other housing part thereby to afford a continuous smooth guiding face for the ribbon.

6. The invention set forth in claim 3 wherein said matching means on the two, twopart housings are on one part of each twopart housing and are protuberances and holes fitting into each other.

7. The invention set forth in claim 3, wherein the typewriter embodies,

a supply reel hub receiving shaft,

a takeup reel hub receiving shaft,

platform means through which said shafts project,

and means on said platform means at locations correlated to the axes of said receiving shafts respectively to receive nonrotatively the related twopart reel housings by the stated matching means on each such twopart housing.

t ae r e 5 

1. A carbon ribbon package assembly for use in a typewriter, comprising in combination: a ribbon supply reel having a ribbon-mounting hub, a ribbon takeup reel having a ribbon-mounting hub, an identical ribbon housing for each of said reels, each of said housings comprising a pair of flat disks provided with rim means directed toward one another to provide spacing wherebetween its respective reel is accommodated, locking means on said rim means of each housing for securing said disks of a housing after a reel is inserted therein, said rim means of each housing having each an interruption to provide a ribbon passage, said housings being each adapted for association upon the typewriter by a particular one of its disks and such disk having a central opening for facilitating such association, a carbon ribbon wound on said supply reel hub and a leading end portion extending therefrom through the ribbon passage in the housing of the supply reel and into the ribbon passage in the housing of the takeup reel and being attached to the hub of said takeup reel, and matching means on those disks of the housings by which they are associable with the typewriter, to coaxially associate the housings separably upon each other, comprising on each such disk a plurality of protuberances fitting holes in the other of said disks.
 2. The invention set forth in claim 1, in combination with a typewriter embodying, a supply reel hub-receiving shaft, a takeup reel hub-receiving shaft, platform means through which said shafts project, and means on said platform means at locations correlated to the axes of said receiving shafts respectively to associate nonrotatively the related reel housings by said protuberances thereon.
 3. A carbon ribbon package assembly for use on a typewriter, comprising in combination, a ribbon supply reel having a ribbon-mounting hub, a ribbon takeup reel having a ribbon-mounting hub, an identical tWo-part housing for each of said reels, each two-part housing comprising two disks having each a projecting peripheral rim facing toward one another providing a space therebetween, said reels being each accommodated between the disks of their two-part housings with room for freely rotating therein, the rims projecting from the disks of each two-part housing having matching interruptions, to provide a ribbon passage, means to join two parts of each housing so that the interruptions therein register with each other, at least one of said disks of each housing having a central opening to facilitate the association of the reel in the housing by its hub with a machine part, a carbon ribbon wound on said supply reel hub and a leading end portion of the ribbon extending therefrom through the ribbon passage in the two-part housing of the supply reel and into the ribbon passage in the two-part housing of the takeup reel and being attached to the hub of said takeup reel, and matching means on the two two-part housings to separably associate them superimposed upon each other.
 4. The invention set forth in claim 3, wherein the means to join the two parts of each two-part housing includes a plurality of detent prongs extending from at least one housing part to resiliently snap onto the other housing part.
 5. The invention set forth in claim 3, wherein the ends of said passages in each two-part housing are afforded by a finger on one housing part which reaches across a portion of the rim on the other housing part thereby to afford a continuous smooth guiding face for the ribbon.
 6. The invention set forth in claim 3 wherein said matching means on the two, two-part housings are on one part of each two-part housing and are protuberances and holes fitting into each other.
 7. The invention set forth in claim 3, wherein the typewriter embodies, a supply reel hub-receiving shaft, a takeup reel hub-receiving shaft, platform means through which said shafts project, and means on said platform means at locations correlated to the axes of said receiving shafts respectively to receive nonrotatively the related two-part reel housings by the stated matching means on each such two-part housing. 